Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

In 1994 I pulled up outside the sports centre on the first OB day I had been since leaving Hertford in 1972.

I was certain I would not know anyone. Two women got out of the car next to me, both from my year and one was Alex who I had sat next to at the entrance exam.

Earlier that year we had returned from the US and were renting in Hastings. I dropped my children off at school (late as usual) and a woman coing out was wearing a CH scarf. I said "I went to school there" she said " I know, you are Mary Vincett"

She was unrecognisable, slim, fit, blonde(ish) with long wavy hair. At school she had been dark, short-haired and chubby.

I obviously hadn't changed much.

Julia Sibary (for it was she) and I went back to her place for coffee and nattered for hours (she called in to work sick)

huntertitus wrote:Crikey Spoonbill that's a corker of a shot of you!

Were you as pretty as that when at school?

Mate, I was as thin as a reed (and my facial features were distinguishable, too). It's all as disturbing for me as it is for you.

Peele B housemaster Tom Keeley once told me that when he was a teenager, he was just as skinny as I was. I pretty much refused to believe this at the time, but now I suspect he wasn't speaking with forked tongue.

Incidentally, I hasten to point out that I'm most definitely not a baseball cap wearer (they're deplorable things). The photo was taken on a boat in Florida - and being a big jerk, I'd forgotten to bring head-protecting apparel to shield my coconut from the sun, so a baseball cap was produced. Honest, guv'nor.

Mid A 15, I've only just moved to Amersham in the last fortnight (I was in Cornwall previously) - and my choice wasn't influenced by the presence of the gorgeous englishangel (towards whom I harbour no ill feelings whatever - which I hope doesn't disappoint her). Englishangel: if you spot my teeny person tripping down the street ever so nimbly, please don't hit me on the head with a brick.

Welcome to Amersham Spoonbill.

Where is this photo?

I need to know who to avoid in Tesco.

I don't think you would recognise me from my tiny photo. Also it was taken at a Silver Wedding party and although I scrub up well I am a slob usually.

BTW I hated CH too which was why it took me 22 years to go back. Not until ithe girls had moved to Horsham which held no bad memories for me.

I haven't been back for an Old Blue's Day since the early 1980s and don't fancy the idea. But if I die anytime soon, I'd definitely go back to the next one as a ghost just to see how everyone's changed physically. It's a constant source of surprise to me the different speed/different manner in which folk age. Baldness, body weight, facial collapse etc.

And whenever I look at an old house photo, I'm left wondering about those infernal statistics the world throws at us all (1 in 10 people are gay and so on). I can't help wondering who out of all those kids has been sent to prison, developed mental health problems, died, become disabled, gone blind, committed suicide, come out as gay, ended up as a struggling single parent, become a substance abuser, been long-term unemployed, etc., etc.

Or, like me, degenerated into a semi-homeless bum.

englishangel wrote:Where is this photo?

I need to know who to avoid in Tesco.

Click on the link in my posting at the top of this thread and gasp in horror.

Spoonbill wrote:

englishangel wrote:Where is this photo?

I need to know who to avoid in Tesco.

Click on the link in my posting at the top of this thread and gasp in horror.

Gasp.

I think I will show that to my sons (6' and 9st 8lbs, and 5'9" and 8st) as a warning.

On second thoughts they only have to look at their father.

A Dirty Old Jack wrote:I haven't been back for an Old Blue's Day since the early 1980s and don't fancy the idea. But if I die anytime soon, I'd definitely go back to the next one as a ghost just to see how everyone's changed physically. It's a constant source of surprise to me the different speed/different manner in which folk age. Baldness, body weight, facial collapse etc.

And whenever I look at an old house photo, I'm left wondering about those infernal statistics the world throws at us all (1 in 10 people are gay and so on). I can't help wondering who out of all those kids has been sent to prison, developed mental health problems, died, become disabled, gone blind, committed suicide, come out as gay, ended up as a struggling single parent, become a substance abuser, been long-term unemployed, etc., etc.
Or, like me, degenerated into a semi-homeless bum.

Are you sure you're not describing the Board of Governers, Jack ??

Spoonbill said - Peele B housemaster Tom Keeley once told me that when he was a teenager, he was just as skinny as I was.

When did he say that to you?

He played some extremely wierd mind-games with quite a few of my friends and I in the 1970's - much enjoyed by all

If you weren't scared of the cane you could have quite a bit of fun "baiting" him.

After one or two "interviews", you got to find out about his interests in why and how boys misbehave and you could hint at having done slightly worse things than you had actually done and he would quiver with excitement, only to be deflated when he realised you weren't the total delinquent he was looking for.

I remember a fantastic library of blue-spined paperbacks (pelican?) which covered every aspecy of juvenile problems.

huntertitus wrote:Spoonbill said - Peele B housemaster Tom Keeley once told me that when he was a teenager, he was just as skinny as I was.

When did he say that to you?

Keeley was like Northern England's answer to a Sumo wrestler in my day, so I find the idea of him as a skellington pretty far fetched.

He was famously insomniac and used to spend large chunks of the night wandering on Big Side - so if you went for a cig at 2.30 a.m. in the Bird Sanctuary he'd probably nab you.

(Were any self-respecting birds ever seen in there? Or was it just dead trees and rubbish?)

As for whether I'm still recognisable: probably no. Been in the wars too much, abused me system too much and so on. Used to have a big vagrant beard like that bloke who said It's...... at the beginning of Monty Python, but no more.

A Dirty Old Jack wrote:

huntertitus wrote:Spoonbill said - Peele B housemaster Tom Keeley once told me that when he was a teenager, he was just as skinny as I was.

When did he say that to you?

Yeah, 1970s. Keeley was like Northern England's answer to a Sumo wrestler at the time, so I found the idea of him as a skellington pretty far fetched.

He was famously insomniac and used to spend large chunks of the night wandering on Big Side - so if you went for a cig at 2.30 a.m. in the Bird Sanctuary he'd probably nab you.

(Were any self-respecting birds ever seen in there? Or was it just dead trees and rubbish?)

As for whether I'm still recognisable: probably no. Been in the wars too much, abused me system too much and so on. Used to have a big vagrant beard like that bloke who said It's...... at the beginning of Monty Python, but no more.

Ok so we now know you were there in the 1970's as everyone remembers Keeley driving over the Big side cricket pitches looking for smokers, or even better KISSERS

but your age is not 75

more like 45

so who are you?

give us your name and perhaps tell us you are not being honest about age and being "an 'omeless"

huntertitus wrote:

A Dirty Old Jack wrote:

huntertitus wrote:Spoonbill said - Peele B housemaster Tom Keeley once told me that when he was a teenager, he was just as skinny as I was.

When did he say that to you?

Yeah, 1970s. Keeley was like Northern England's answer to a Sumo wrestler at the time, so I found the idea of him as a skellington pretty far fetched.

He was famously insomniac and used to spend large chunks of the night wandering on Big Side - so if you went for a cig at 2.30 a.m. in the Bird Sanctuary he'd probably nab you.

(Were any self-respecting birds ever seen in there? Or was it just dead trees and rubbish?)

As for whether I'm still recognisable: probably no. Been in the wars too much, abused me system too much and so on. Used to have a big vagrant beard like that bloke who said It's...... at the beginning of Monty Python, but no more.

Ok so we now know you were there in the 1970's as everyone remembers Keeley driving over the Big side cricket pitches looking for smokers, or even better KISSERS

but your age is not 75

more like 45

so who are you?

give us your name and perhaps tell us you are not being honest about age and being "an 'omeless"

If you look at spoonbill's bio, you will see he reckons he's 3 !

Not bad typing for a mere sprog but that doesn't answer the second part of your question, hunter !!

J.R. wrote:

huntertitus wrote:

A Dirty Old Jack wrote: Yeah, 1970s. Keeley was like Northern England's answer to a Sumo wrestler at the time, so I found the idea of him as a skellington pretty far fetched.

He was famously insomniac and used to spend large chunks of the night wandering on Big Side - so if you went for a cig at 2.30 a.m. in the Bird Sanctuary he'd probably nab you.

(Were any self-respecting birds ever seen in there? Or was it just dead trees and rubbish?)

As for whether I'm still recognisable: probably no. Been in the wars too much, abused me system too much and so on. Used to have a big vagrant beard like that bloke who said It's...... at the beginning of Monty Python, but no more.

Ok so we now know you were there in the 1970's as everyone remembers Keeley driving over the Big side cricket pitches looking for smokers, or even better KISSERS

but your age is not 75

more like 45

so who are you?

give us your name and perhaps tell us you are not being honest about age and being "an 'omeless"

If you look at spoonbill's bio, you will see he reckons he's 3 !

Not bad typing for a mere sprog but that doesn't answer the second part of your question, hunter !!

I was talking about the man who calls himself a dirty old jock who remembers Keeley in the 1970's but puts his own age at 75 - this means he was at school in his mid 40's - perhaps he was a TEACHER and now wishes us to believe he is an 'omeless drifter

I'm not sure he is altogether telling the truth

To be honest at this hour I don't even care...

Night night

Why does JR have a photo of a weirdo as his avatar?

C'mon JR, show us what you really look like.

Spoonbill wrote:Why does JR have a photo of a weirdo as his avatar?

C'mon JR, show us what you really look like.

Oy, 3 year old !

That IS me, taken last year getting well oiled in a mates garden in Newhaven.

Spoonbill wrote:Why does JR have a photo of a weirdo as his avatar?

C'mon JR, show us what you really look like.

How rude!!!!